Do We Have the Original Text? Some Optimism in Textual Criticism
Over the last few decades, the world of textual criticism has had a less than an optimistic feel about it. While the central purpose of textual criticism has traditionally been the recovery of the “original” text (regardless of whether one is dealing with the New Testament or any ancient text), some are now suggesting that it should not necessarily be the goal of the discipline.
Bart Ehrman, commenting on the attempts to recover the original text, declares, “It is by no means self-evident that this ought to be the goal of the discipline…there may indeed be scant reason to privilege the ‘original’ text over forms of the text that developed … Continue reading...
The Key Element of Successful Fishing (for Fish or Men): Optimism
I just recently returned from a vacation at the beach here in North Carolina (which explains my long blog silence). One of the most enjoyable aspects of the trip was getting an opportunity to go fishing almost every day. We fished from the boat, from shore, from docks, and basically from anywhere we could reach water. As I have reflected on this week of fishing, I was reminded again of Luke 5:1-11 where Jesus not only calls his disciples while they are fishing, but describes their future ministries as one that will be filled with fishing—fishing for men. And the parallels between evangelism and fishing have been well-noted over the … Continue reading...
Do You Obey God with Hopefulness?
God has a habit of asking his people to do difficult things. Unthinkable things. Nonsensical things. He asked Noah to build a 400 foot ark in the middle of dry land. He asked Gideon to send 32,000 troops home before the battle with the Midianites, leaving him only 300 men. And he asked Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman—a prostitute. In all such instances, God calls his people to radical obedience. He calls us to trust Him.
But do we? The issue isn’t just whether we obey. The issue is how we obey. Do we do the difficult thing God is calling us to do with hope and confidence that … Continue reading...